The Call Of Destiny
by laxgoal31
Summary: Post Season 5 Finale. Addresses the relationship between Locke, Jacob's rival, and Jacob; also some Suliet/Jate/Skate. Fate beckons for all connected with the island. Will they finally fulfill the destiny they were meant for? DISCONTINUED.
1. Bad News

**So, this is set immediately after the season 5 finale. We'll begin with the whole Locke-Jacob-mystery man mess, and then move to the other characters. Enjoy!**

The man referring to himself as John Locke looked upon the burning, writhing body of Jacob with utter scorn.

This represented the culmination of his preparation. The termination of the trials and tribulations he had suffered in order to bring this about.

He had wished for so long to end this man's seemingly immortal life. He had wished for so long, but he had always been held back. Held back by the unbreakable, paranormal laws of time. Of the world. Of the _universe_.

And then finally, he had been presented with the golden opportunity. The opportunity to cheat the workings of the universe; the opportunity to find his loophole. Benjamin Linus had said that he was willing to do anything for him. Ben had stated that he would do _anything_.

And Ben had done it. As the man calling himself Locke glanced over at Ben, the only expression that he could see on Ben's face was one of pure shock. Not the shock of someone making a kill; no that didn't faze Ben anymore. It never had.

No, this utter state of weakness was one of pure surprise. Surprise at the utter transformation of the man Ben once knew as John Locke. The transformation of a gentle, caring man, once filled with faith in destiny, into the ruthless, cold-blooded killer standing before him.

This transformation was evident in the raw animosity set in the features of John Locke as he stared at Jacob's final throes of death.

The man calling himself John Locke turned away and began to walk out of the ruins of the majestic statue of the Egyptian goddess Taweret. _Goodbye, son._

Behind the man, Benjamin Linus fell dutifully into step. He could only follow the leader.

~/~/~/~/

"_You still won't give it up, will you?" asked Isaac angrily of Jacob. They both were sitting outside of the ruins of the ancient statue, looking out at the water, just like that day so long ago. The day Black Rock had come._

_Jacob shook his head. "No. Think of this as the final experiment. The experiment that will determine which of our theories will prevail."_

"_Every single group of humans that have arrived on this island have only served to prove me correct!" exclaimed Isaac. "They're all corrupt. All they do is fight with each other, instead of working in harmony. Look at what happened to the Dharma Initiative. You call that an example of a perfect society?"_

"_Do you expect a toddler to know how to walk and talk as soon as it is born? It's called progress, Father," replied Jacob with a touch of annoyance._

_Isaac turned to look at his son directly in the eyes. "Your vision of creating a Utopian world will never work. You know why? Because the people you want to live in that world are merely human. They're not like you, or I. Humans can never get along perfectly. It's just not meant to be."_

"_You're wrong. And this time, I'm going to prove it. The crash of Oceanic Flight 815 will be the event that will jump start the entire world on its destined path culminating in the ultimate state of being. Utopia."_

_Isaac got up to walk away in disgust. He had heard enough of this ridiculous spiel of Jacob's. It was always the same. Useless arguments that never came to fruition._

_Isaac turned around for a moment to leave his son with some hopefully meaningful parting words. "You're right, Jacob. Oceanic Flight 815 will most certainly change the world. You know how? It will become my loophole."_

~/~/~/~/

As Richard Alpert became aware of two dark silhouettes exiting the ruined statue, he motioned to his men. The click of rifles being primed echoed all through the inky blackness of the beach.

Ben moved away quickly from the man he knew as Locke, and moved over to stand beside Sun Kwon. Not one Other followed him with a rifle. It was the other man by the statue that they were concerned with.

The man Richard knew as John Locke became visible in the dim torchlight. With hands held high, Locke looked directly at Richard and said somewhat sarcastically, "This is how you order your men to treat their leader? What sort of mutiny is this?"

Richard had an answer ready and waiting for this anticipated statement of Locke's. Pointing to the deceased, formally laid-out body of the John Locke, dumped on the sand, the body had been held in the cargo hold of Ajira Flight 316, Richard replied, "You are not the leader, John. He is."

Avoiding the question for the time being, Locke followed Richard's protruding finger to the box, its contents…and the people surrounding it, including Frank Lapidus, Ilana, and Bram. "Why are the Ajira Flight 316 passengers are here? How do they know about the statue?"

Ilana stepped slightly forward. "We are here because of Jacob. He came to me years ago, and asked for my help. And so we came."

Richard saw Locke's face twist in disgust. Looking right at Richard, Locke said clearly, without shame, "Remember how I told you that the Ajira passengers would need to be dealt with?" He now looked around at the majority of the people, his own people, on the dark beach, those standing with rifles hoisted at the ready. "Deal with them. Right now."

"No, John." Richard raised his hands hastily to dissuade anyone from shooting at Ilana's group. "You have some explaining to do. About the contents of this box. About just what you got up to in your time away from the island. And about what Jacob said about this whole mess."

Locke raised his hands in mock-surrender, and for a moment, the hard lines on his weathered face creased back into the old laugh lines. "Sure thing, Richard. But not here. Let's take a walk."

Locke set off into the woods, with Richard following close behind. Before they entered the tree line, Locke turned around briefly. "Keep them here. If they try anything, do not hesitate."

Nobody needed to ask just who he was referring to.

~/~/~/~/

_In the heart of the ancient temple, the smoke monster coiled around him, almost purring at the presence of its master. Isaac stood in the very center of the monster, conversing with it. Their relationship was so close; the smoke monster was his second son. In fact, it was his favorite son._

"_When Benjamin Linus comes to you, I need you to let him live. Let him live, and take the proper shape that will convince him to do my will, no matter what it may be. You need to manipulate him very carefully. Don't push him too much or too little, or I will not have another opportunity to fulfill my deepest wish for the longest time. You can handle this?"_

_The smoke monster growled a response._

"_What shape should you take? I don't know; use your imagination. As one shape shifter to another, I can only say to transform into what you think will have the greatest effect on him."_

_An answering swirl of deep, black smoke._

"_Yes, soon, very soon. I go now to play my part convincingly. The end draws near, my friend. And then…we can begin again._

~/~/~/~/~/

Isaac sat down gingerly on a rough wooden log. Richard took a squat across from him in this small clearing in the jungle, and said to Isaac, "Alright. Explain, John. What happened with Jacob?"

Isaac smiled. He might as well tell Richard exactly what went on in that ancient room of Jacob's. "I didn't do anything wrong, Richard, as much as you were worried about 'breaking the rules'. Ben's the one who killed Jacob."

Richard's mouth fell open.

Isaac smiled. "That's all I'll say for now. Goodbye, Richard."

Before Alpert could move, Isaac stood quickly and dealt a crushing blow to the top of Richard's head. Alpert slumped to the ground, unconscious.

~/~/~/~/

_Richard Alpert stood in the center of Jacob's personal room, the fire blazing directly to his left. Sitting in an easy chair before him was Jacob. The cool night air entered through the open doorway, but Richard felt no stirrings of icy coldness. He only knew the blazing warmth of the fire._

"_Do you know why I've asked you here, Richard?" questioned Jacob kindly. He inclined his head in a curious manner._

_Richard Alpert shook his head in response._

"_I asked you here because I have two things to give you: knowledge and a gift."_

_Most people would have inquired about the gift first, but Richard Alpert was not most people. "What knowledge do you wish to give me?"_

_Jacob smiled knowingly. "A very long time in the future, a sympathetic organization of people is going to arrive on this island. They will know of your existence, and they shall have an identification question to ask of you. You will answer this question correctly, and then you will combine your forces in order to set things right."_

"_Things will not be right on this island in the future?" Richard shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he stood. "What makes you think that?"_

_Jacob sighed. "There is someone who…wishes me harm. This…harm will be the instance that will upset the delicate balance of the island."_

_Richard knew better than to question the exact identity of the person. "Why does this someone wish you harm?"_

"_Because…because this person is not a humble person. He is proud, and jealous. My powers are more…advanced than his, but yet he feels he deserves to be superior. Add that to the fact that we disagree on a very central issue, perhaps the most central issue of the entire universe…and he just does not want me around any longer."_

"_Can we do anything about this person?" asked Richard._

_Jacob replied, "No. I cannot. The laws of the island forbid me. But you can. You must help the group that will come to you in the far future."_

"_But Jacob…I'm not like you. I don't stay the same age like you do. I age like a normal human. What are you saying?"_

_Jacob leaned closer in his chair. "How would you like to be like me? How would you like to stay the same age forever?"_

_That threw Richard. Jacob was asking if he wanted to be practically immortal. To be a god among men. Some would jump on that opportunity right away with hesitation. But again, Richard was different. He was smart enough to realize that being immortal would come with strings attached. It was as much a curse as it was a blessing._

_Jacob repeated his offer softly. "Will you help me, Richard?"_

_And then in that moment, Richard made a snap decision. "Yes. I will."_

_~/~/~/~/_

Richard came to his senses in the middle of the clearing with a pounding headache. He sat up slowly, a hand to his temple, wincing. He then stood gingerly, swaying all the while. Conflicting thoughts swirling through his still-woozy mind.

_Why would John do that? Jacob…dead? By Ben's hand?_

Richard didn't believe it. He simply didn't believe that Jacob, the ultimate benefactor, the man in charge of this sacred island, could be _dead_. Dead applied to other people. Richard just didn't think that that rule was in effect in Jacob's case.

As Richard exited the tree line, feeling the soft sand of the beach move beneath his weary feet, he became aware of the telling sounds of rifles being pointed at him. He raised his hands to let his people know that he was not a threat. _Good to know that they're always vigilant._

The Others lowered their rifles when they saw that it was only Richard. Sun moved slightly forward from the rest of the people gathered on the beach in the shadow of the statue. "What happened? Where's John?"

Before Richard could give a response, he heard the rustling of bushes behind him. Which meant that another person was quite near. He didn't understand. Was John coming back?

The person came into view, stepping away from the jungle onto the beach, hands raised. "Don't shoot!" exclaimed a feminine voice.

Richard gaped in sheer surprise and disbelief. He was barely able to comprehend the person's unscathed face illuminated by the dim glow of the posted torches.

The intruder was Juliet.

**Please, please take the little time to leave a review! They make my day!**

**This is my first ever LOST fanfic, and I'd like to know if my writing totally sucks, if I should continue, or what. So please review!**

**That was a pretty epic season finale, wasn't it?**


	2. This Don't Look Like LAX

**Thanks to all who reviewed chapter 1, here is chapter 2!**

Jack Shepherd woke up, lying among the bushes and shrubs of the jungle. As his eyes slowly fluttered open, he reminisced of the time that he had woken up after the Oceanic 815 crash. After the Ajira 316 flight as well. How similar this was to those instances.

Then it hit him. _The jungle?_

Jack quickly jumped to his feet, and surveyed his surroundings with an increasingly panicked eye. His anxiety mounted further as he realized that his eyes were not deceiving him. They were offering a hideous simulacrum of the world around him.

Or maybe the simulacrum was perfect and that it was the world that was hideous.

Suddenly overwhelmed by conflicting emotions, Jack began kicking a nearby tree in anger. The bark of the tree began to flake off as Jack continued his childlike rampage.

_Why? Why? I tried so hard to get things back to the way they were supposed to be. The way it was meant to be. Why in hell did it not work?_

And then Jack stopped his immature tantrum, as another thought struck him. What about the others? Miles? Sawyer? Jin? Hurley?

Kate.

But the reason why Jack didn't think of either Sayid or Juliet in his running mental tally was…he was sure that they were gone. Out of this world forever.

Sayid was at death's door following his gunshot wound, and Juliet…nobody could have survived that great of a drop. They were, without a doubt, dead.

Then again, on the island, one could never be too sure of certain death.

"Doc?"

Jack whipped around sharply, his gaze coming to rest on a figure dressed exactly like him, in an old, faded tan Dharma Initiative jumpsuit. His face was unscarred, his jumpsuit free of blood. It was exactly the same situation with Jack. There was absolutely no evidence of the brutal fistfight that had taken place shortly before the detonation of Jughead.

With the man now standing before him amongst the trees.

"Sawyer?"

Jack walked forward about five paces until he was standing in front of Sawyer. No embrace of joy at this reunion. No small handshake. Not even a clap on the back. Jack only stared into Sawyer's eyes, the cold, hard eyes of an outsider.

And Jack was pretty sure that that was how their relationship was going to remain.

"You made it," stated Sawyer flatly.

Jack nodded. "Yes. But what about the others? Kate? Miles, Jin, or Hurley?"

"And Juliet? Nope, no sign of them."

Jack sighed. "Sawyer, listen. She couldn't have survived that fall; that hole was just too deep-"

"Damn it, Doc." A muscle jumped briefly in Sawyer's face, and for a moment, Jack was sure that Sawyer was about to lash out with a punch. "She's alive. I know she is. She _has_ to be alive."

Jack took note that rather than anger, Sawyer's voice was one laced with desperation. With nervousness and fear. The voice of a man that had grabbed onto one last leap of faith, because he didn't know what else to do.

Much like the way Sawyer had grabbed Juliet's hand back at the Swan station. Only this time, he wasn't going to let go. He would do whatever it took to find her.

Or he would die trying.

"Sawyer, don't try and build up your hopes. You have to stay realistic-"

"How the hell do you think that nuke went off, Doc?"

~/~/~/~/

"Dude," said Hurley Reyes. "Where did everyone go?"

Jin Kwon shook his head. "I do not know."

They were both trudging along tiredly on a weathered dirt path in the middle of the jungle. Because of the sun beating down on them, both fidgeted uncomfortably in their heavy Dharma jumpsuits. And in Hurley's case, it certainly didn't help that he was lugging the guitar that Jacob had left behind in that taxi cab with him.

"What I want to know is- how come we're still on the island? I thought Jack was going to make it so our plane lands safely at LAX. Am I dreaming?"

Hurley broke off, and patted a thorn bush next to him. Withdrawing his hand almost immediately because of the sharp stab of pain, he said, "Yep. That's a real thorn bush all right."

"I do not know either. I only know that Jack promised me that I would see my wife again. And right now, I do not see her."

"Chill, dude. We'll find her," affirmed Hurley in what he probably thought was a reassuring tone. From Jin's facial expression, he was evident that he did not agree. "I have a question though. You think we're still in 1977? Or are we back in the present?"

Jin started to shake his head. Then he caught sight of the tops of houses coming up along the path. "It seems we are about to find out."

Hurley followed Jin's gaze ahead…and saw the roofs of Dharma town come into view.

The remaining walk to the town was carried out in silence, as each was lost in their own private thoughts. But when they both entered the village common, they stopped short in surprise.

Because the town was empty. Not a soul was in sight.

No alarms were blaring, no warning klaxons were sounding, no panicked voice was coming over the loudspeaker system. Dharma town was now a ghost town.

Jin stated the obvious by saying, "There's nobody here."

"So we're in the present, right?" Hurley began to move as fast as he could towards the nearest house. "You think the food's gone bad after all this time? I'm hungry."

~/~/~/~/

Jack began to hike through the jungle, with Sawyer following close behind. As they strode on, Jack asked, "Why? Why do you think we're on the island and not at LAX?"

Sawyer shook his head. "No idea."

But it was obvious from his tone that he was not at all broken up about their current location. Actually, Sawyer was quite glad that they were still on the island.

It meant that approximately three years of his life had not been erased. That all that had happened, had actually happened. But throughout all the trials of the years living on the island, only one single thing mattered.

He had met Juliet. And that was what made all the difference.

Then Sawyer stopped in his tracks, and held out a hand to stop Jack as well. Jack turned around to face Sawyer with a curious expression. "What is it?"

"Has it occurred to any of you that your buddy is going to cause the thing he says he's trying to prevent? Perhaps that little nuke _is_ the incident. So maybe the best thing to do…is nothing?" repeated Sawyer.

Jack just looked at Sawyer in confusion. "What?"

"Enis…Miles said that. Right before we all came to back you up at the Swan…" Sawyer stopped there before the painful memory associated with that gunfight came back to haunt him."

Jack just looked at Sawyer for a minute. "You think…you think he was right?"

As Sawyer thought about it, that little theory made more and more sense. It would certainly explain a lot. "Why not? Hell, Doc, I thought you were the educated one here. You don't see?"

"No. I don't. Why don't you enlighten me?"

Sawyer began pacing in a circle around Jack, who was standing stock-still. "Of course you were popping pills and getting rip-roaring drunk at the time, but while you were away, the island was flashing through time. And every time period that those of us left behind visited, we seemed to have some sort of purpose to fulfill."

The pieces began falling together for Jack. "Like Jughead."

"Yeah. Twitchy told Alpert and his crew to bury that nuke because it was leaking radiation. Which led to you finding it twenty-odd years later. We must have been in the 1950's for some good reason."

"So you think that was what we were meant to do? We were _meant_ to trigger the incident that would one day lead to our own plane accident? That this was our destiny?" asked Jack hopefully.

"I don't speak 'destiny' or '_meant to happen'_. All I know is we're on this island now. And if I had to guess, we ain't back in hippie time," Sawyer said mirthlessly.

Jack just shook his head in disbelief. "I don't understand…a _nuclear bomb _just went off. But we're still alive. How can that be?"

Sawyer regarded Jack coolly. "You think I understand anymore than you do? Just be happy to be alive, Doc. Savor it. Others don't have that luxury."

This callous proclamation of Sawyer's caused an awful thought to hit Jack. "Kate…"

Sawyer knew exactly what he was thinking. "She's still alive, Doc. We'll find her."

"She must be on the island somewhere," said Jack with authority.

"You needed a PhD to figure that out?"

~/~/~/~/

"No," breathed Richard Alpert.

He was standing in the middle of Jacob's small alcove, next to the warmth of the crackling fire. The tapestry rippled in the wind as his brown eyes surveyed the room.

And they almost immediately alighted on a body that was almost unrecognizable. It was badly charred, and remnants of dried blood could be seen upon it.

The corpse of Jacob.

A figure appeared in the open passageway, as Ilana joined Richard in solemn stillness. As she entered the room, she almost spotted the gruesome sight of the cadaver.

And then the one word question escaped her lips. "Why?"

Richard chose not to answer her question just then. Instead, he chose to lay out the facts as he knew them. "The delicate balance of the island has been upset. There were only two players: one light and one dark."

Little did Richard know it, but he had just repeated exactly the same words that the real Locke had said shortly after the crash of Oceanic 815.

Richard continued, "This balance has been the way of the island for years. Decades. _Centuries_. And now after all that time, only the dark remains."

Ilana refused to believe that Jacob was actually dead. "This wasn't supposed to happen. It was not meant to be this way."

"What are you saying?" asked Richard.

"What lies in the shadow of the statue," whispered Ilana. This time, she was making a statement. Asserting a fact. Not asking a question.

And then Richard realized what she was referring to. The answer.

Ille qui nos omnes servabit. He who will save us all.

But apparently, 'he who will save us all' could not even save himself.

Richard's thoughts were interrupted as the room suddenly began to shake, the stone walls beginning to slightly flake away under the pressure. As Richard stretched a hand out in order to try and steady himself from the shifting floor, a blinding white light filled the room. His outstretched hand now moved to cover his eyes, as a deafening roar filled his ears. Next to him, Ilana was doing much the same.

How long the disturbance lasted, Richard could not say. But when the earsplitting roar ended, the floor under him stopped shaking, and when the dazzling pressure against his eyelids finally ceased, he cautiously opened his eyes in order to see the aftermath.

Ilana opened her eyes as well, blinking rapidly. "Is it over?"

Richard did not reply. Instead, he roamed the room silently with his gaze, trusting that all the contents inside remained the same from before the mystery tempest had struck.

Richard eyes finally completed their wandering inventory. "The answer to your question may still apply yet."

Ilana looked at him in confusion. "What are you saying?"

Richard turned to her and locked gazes directly with her. "Jacob's body isn't here anymore. It's gone."

~/~/~/~/

"Jack! Jack!"

Beside her, Miles said in annoyance, "You're wasting your breath. He's obviously not near us."

Kate gave Miles a scathing look. Miles held up his hands in mock-surrender. "Fine, fine, fine…yell away."

The two of them were walking on the rocks, near the surrounding ocean of the island. After having awakened, still dressed in the same clothes they were garbed in before the nuclear warhead went off, they had methodically searched the immediate area for any sign of their fellows. To no avail.

Choosing not to heed the advice of Miles, Kate instead decided to voice the obvious nagging question. "Why do you think we're here? Why am I not landing at LAX, safe and sound right now?" she wondered.

Miles did not answer Kate right away. Instead, he fixed his gaze upon a figure approaching in the distance. "I have no clue. But maybe he does."

Kate looked away from the salty spray of the ocean, and turned her head to look straight ahead at the person Miles was indicating.

And her brain shut down. It simply refused to comprehend what her eyesight was telling it.

"But he's dead," Kate whispered to herself.

The approaching figure stopped directly in front of Miles and Kate. He was dressed in the same plain olive tee, dark pants, and sporting the same black backpack. In complete disbelief, Kate asked the person a question, just to reassure herself of what she was seeing. "Locke?"

Isaac only smiled.

Isaac then leveled a gun that had been hidden in the small of his back and fired two shots.

**How is the story going so far? Please, please review! They keep me motivated, and they really make my day! So please!**


End file.
